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Wednesday, February 22, 2012

On Your Mark, Get Set...for Seekerville Speedbo!

You’ve probably heard of (and maybe even participated in) the annual November National Novel Writing Month (affectionately known as NaNoWriMo). Now in March 2012 the Seekers are challenging you to again make major headway in your writing endeavors via Seekerville Speed Book...aka Speedbo!.

This is an opportunity to fully focus on that new story idea or current Work in Progress (WIP). It’s a chance to join your fellow “Friends of Seekerville” (both pubbed and unpubbed) in an energizing month of fun, hard work and productivity.

.- Have you been wanting write a book, but just can’t get started because it seems too intimidating?

.- Do you have a book in progress, but it’s taking forever to complete?

.- Could you use a boost of energy and renewed enthusiasm to get through those middle-of-the-book blues and reach a glorious THE END?

.Some of you are probably already thinking: “Now tell me again why I’d want to pull a stunt like this? It sounds crazy. No way can I draft a book in a month. And I’m certainly not going to compete in the attempt.”

.First of all, this isn’t a competition. You’re not trying to beat your Seekerville friends. This is a challenge to stretch yourself and raise your own personal writing bar while surrounded by a supportive team cheering you on..This concentrated month of effort will encourage you to...

.- Keep the story foremost in your mind for a limited span of time and get those words down on paper.

.- Say bye-bye to the inner critic who insists your story stinks.

.- Boot perfectionism out the door. You’re going into this knowing you’re writing with the purpose of REwriting.

.- Boost your writing confidence as you sit down daily and push yourself just a bit more than you have in the past.

.- Ditch agonizing over “just the right word.” Insert a blank line, highlight it in red or yellow and keep moving.

.- Refuse to indulge your inner Grammar Queen. No stressing over spelling, punctuation and grammar is allowed during Speedbo.

.So does this sound a bit tempting? Will you give it a shot? You have a window of time between now and March to think about characters, conflict, an opening scene or beefing up a sagging middle. There’s time to prepare yourself mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually to launch into a month-long writing adventure!

.The sign-up for Speedbo will take place soon when Seeker Tina will give you the final details. And as always in Seekerville, there will be a little motivational “reward” added to the mix!.
.If you’d like to be entered in a drawing for a copy of my latest release “High Country Hearts,” please mention it in the comments section--then watch our Weekend Edition for the winner!
_________

Glynna Kaye’s Love Inspired “Dreaming of Home” was a 2010 finalist in the “Carol Award” and “Maggie Award,” as well as a first place winner of the 2010 “Booksellers Best” and “Beacon” awards. “At Home In His Heart” garnered a 4 ½ star review from national magazine “RT Book Reviews” and “High Country Hearts,” the fourth story set in the mountain country of Canyon Springs, Arizona debuts in March 2012.

I'd really really planned to have my NaNo WIP polished by next week so I could focus on something totally new next month but I don't think that's gonna happen. I need to sit down tomorrow and figure out what I still need for it and at least try to get the rough draft done by 3/1.

Right now, all I have is a scene I wrote about 18 months ago that I want to turn into a full length thing. But I've got literally nothing on the present day plot - just that this guy has a daughter who was born in late 2001 or early 2002. That's it. I don't even have names for any of them at this point.

And there's a girl [a woman love interest girl - not just his daughter girl - unless he has a son - I'm really not sure].

From what you wrote it is Speedbook – not speed novel. You also did not mention anything about minimum page length. So this is perfect. I’d like to write my nonfiction book on Rewards Per Page and have it done regardless of how many pages it takes. I want a similar format to GMC which I think is idea. I’m ready to sign up.

Vince

P.S. I’d love to win your new book if I can get it on the Kindle. If not, I’ll buy it the day it becomes available. I’d love to live in “Canyon Springs”.

I am not a writer so my writing for March will be my blog, application letters (I am still taking Julies advise in counting each rejection as a blessing) am also getting a tad discouraged more because of people around me being negative, and editing the church newsletter.I would love to win your new book Glynna. (did I mention it would be a great birthday gift for Sunday)

Glynna, you make a great commercial for the Speedbo! You asked, "Do you have a book in progress, but it’s taking forever to complete? Could you use a boost of energy and renewed enthusiasm to get through those middle-of-the-book blues and reach a glorious THE END?" -- I nod to my computer, drool gently glazing my keyboard from my laptop-lighted chin.

I'm SO in. I'm scared. But I'm in. I've never done a challenge like this. Is it a certain number of words per day, or what? Put me in for the book drawing. That cover is loverly.

Ok, I love the idea of NaNoWriMo but I've never officially joined. BUT this is perfect! I just started a new story and I'm facing a huge 'inner critic' issue. Probably because I know that eventually I'll have to show it to someone. And writing is FUN! I don't want it to be about fear.

First off,I apologize for the formatting of the post. I don't know what happened. I'd carefully set sentences/paragraphs apart with spaces and even anchored the spaces with white periods just as I have always done in the past, but apparently Blogger had a new game to play this morning and lumped it all together, making it hard to read. :(

HELEN -- Jump on in! The water's fine! :) If you think halfway is too much for a month goal, cut it down. Maybe another quarter of the book or "X" number of chapters? But set yourself some kind of goal and get in on the fun. :)

I see that hand waving, CAROL! You still have a week to get some of your story questions answered in preparation of launching into a writing month. And you can always set several days apart for that month's goal as getting that new story idea fleshed out, then launching in.

Good morning, VINCE! Yes, Speedbo works for fiction OR nonfiction! Just set your goal and launch out for a month of productivity, fun, and maybe a little exhaustion. :) The world is eagerly awaiting your "Rewards Per Page!"

Hi NATALIE! You set your own wordcount goal. You're not competing against other Friends of Seekervile, you're using this time to stretch yourself a little farther than you have before and see how far you can get into your book. Too often we get distracted by inconsequential things or hung up on research or making a sentence or paragraph "just right." So this is an opportunity to just write your little heart out without the Inner Critic sitting on your shoulder.

VIRGINIA! This is a perfect time to beat off that Inner Critic. He's banned for the month of March!

I know after I sold my first book, I wondered if I'd be able to write and sell another--as I do everytime I ship the latest completed WIP to NY. LOL. That Inner Critic tells you it was just a fluke. An editorial oversight.

So we'll lock that Inner Critic bully in the shed out back in March and make writing FUN!

Count me in. Due to family health issues, I've started the year off slowly. I need this. Thanks!Please toss my name in the hat for today's contest. The cover looks so inviting.I hope you all have a great day!Jackie

Good Morning, SANDRA! Looks like we're off to a fine Speedbo start, doesn't it?? In March I'll be focused on edits for my October release and finalizing ideas to run by my editor for my next Canyon Springs books. But I'm definitely going to be here cheering everyone on!

"she says something clever here."He walked in on her, and she did something.SOMETHING is my favorite word for anything I can figure out later!

Sprinting is a great way to get to know your characters too, don't you think? They do all the talking and you just take shorthand and try to keep up. I plot first of course, but then for each session I just remind myself what's going to happen and they take over.

Glynna, thanks for the heads up on Speedbo! Not easy to get rid of my inner editor. Will require search and kill manuevers. Or at the very least, pistol whipping to get the job done. Just thinking of all the productivity in Seekerville is inspiring!!

Deb, what a great idea to just put "something" when that one idea just won't come and then moooove on.

I've been known to write a synopsis of a scene that has too many details still needing research - I know what's going on, but I don't know how it's going to happen yet - and then start in writing again with the next scene.

That's what rewriting is for, isn't it?

And Glynna and Ruthy, there will be prizes, too? More than just getting the words into the computer? Sweet!

DEBRA--Sprint writing is fun because you give yourelf permission to just get words on paper. I'm very much one for setting a timer and saying "go!" so I can see how much headway I can make in a short length of time.

I also love SPRING and summer writing because of all the daylight. The short days of late fall and winter really zap my energy and concentration. I'm EXCEEDINGLY solar-powered, so I'm happy to see the sun setting later and later now. :)

I'm totally in! I have a whole week off in March as well so I'm hoping that will balance my crazy work weeks the rest of the month! And I'm even plotting a bit ahead of time! Gasp!!!! Problem is I have too many ideas this time round and I have to settle on just one. Thanks for doing this Seekerville!

Sounds fun!!! By March 1st, I should be finished with the edits I'm doing now and I'll be ready to get some words!!! I have to finish the last 10,000 or so words on a contracted book, then I want to write three chapters on a new book that I want to propose. If I finish all that, I might try to work on another book that I started last fall.

I wish you guys would do this three or four months out of the year! I love doing these. I used to participate in something like this on the ACFW forum, but I don't know if they still do it or not.

Welcome aboard Speedbo, KAV! As we both know, working around the day job for something like this takes Herculean effort. Weeding out all the ideas can be tricky, too--if you make one decision it changes something else.

Vince, in case you didn't see it, I replied to your questions on the Weekend Edition post last Sunday, about how my books get so many reviews, and whether you can read my books out of order. (Giving away tons of copies, and yes.)

Oh, man, MELANIE! Three or four months a year? What kind of energizer bunny are you? :) But it IS a great motivator, something to give us that little push, push, push with the comaraderie of fellow friends and writers.

I'm getting fired up for this. I've got my wip almost done. Hope to finish this week, then spend next week getting my affairs in order.

Or, no, wait. Getting your affairs in order is what you do if you're going to DIE.

So, what I mean is, getting the character sketches in order. Getting the syopsis reviewed. I'm very seat-of-the pants but I want to write a sort of 'scene progress' document to show what I want to accomplish in each scene.Then I'm committing to (gulp) 2000-3000 words a day for March.

31 days x 3000 = 93000 word book, completed in a month.orSince the book isn't due THAT soon, I might give myself a break and do:31 days x 2000 = 62000 words. The book isn't finished but I can wave at the finish line by the end of the month.

Deb... I'm proud of you. You sound like our "Plan B" philosophy via Einstein: Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

So six of us turned the insanity upside down, inside out, changed our game plan, our targets, our goals, etc. and I'll tell you... We hit the ground fresh and RUNNING.

And it worked. GOOD FOR YOU, my friend! And hey, I'm fully intending on making it (God willing) to that Bedford Falls celebration this year, so save a day for that weekend, okay? Saturday works better for me, but I can re-arrange for Sunday if necessary. Mia wants to come too.

We should have an appointed upstate NY Seekerville day trip to Seneca Falls/Bedford Falls, New York!

Anyone who's not in our #1K1HR group should totally join us for sprints.

I think I'm going to get as much done as I can on the current WIP - fleshing out and polishing by 3/2 then start on the new WIP on 3/3. Even if I have nothing but a few blank character sheets that I can fill in once I figure out who his ex is etc.

And then just...

GO!

With a goal of a full rough draft by the end of March. Of course, I'm going to be out of town the last 3 days of March so I really only have until the 28th or so but still. If I can take a couple of days and Spring Break and be all Robin, it could be doable.

Mel - ACFW NovelTrack is held 8 months a year - you set your own goal of at least 10K. It's two months on then a month of NT: Editing - with a goal of how many pages to edit in the month. Jan/Feb are writing, Mar is editing, etc.

And so I must get working if I'm actually going to reach this month's goal for NT - highly unlikely as it was 30K and I'm still under 5K thanks to surgery but ah well... ;)

Maybe it's because my hubby and daughter CONTINUALLY beat me at Words with Friends, Hanging with Friends, and Scramble with Friends.

AND I'M SUPPOSED TO BE THE WRITER!!!! WORDS ARE THE TOOLS OF MY TRADE!!!!

Seriously, I have no idea if I will be able to buckle down for the month of March to write a book. For one thing, I have a March 15 deadline on my next Horseman book. I'm about to finish the draft, so the first half of March will be devoted to revising and polishing.

Then...I would like to take a much needed vacation.

However, I must get started soon on the next book in my contractual queue, which I've barely had time to think about. Maybe I'll at least be able to kick it into first gear before Speedbo ends.

Sounds intriguing....still haven't decided if I'll participate or not... I'm trying to do some editing, and am not sure how it will work to try and edit one manuscript, while starting another one. Any thoughts?

Thanks Glynna! I wasn't really excited about Speedbo until I read your post. It sounds so freeing to SKIP the things that are like hitting a brick wall because you can't seem to get the details straight in your mind. As long as they are doable, why not skip it and go back to it later?Now I'm jazzed!Please put me in for the drawing! I'm going to pretend I'm at that cabin on your cover as I write in March. :)

I am thinking this is just what I need to get the character and storyline I have in my head down on paper. Will there be hands reaching out through the screen to drag me to the keyboard or pat me on the back?

Hi all, long time no see. I'm out, but I'll try to cheer you all on. These classes are keeping me busier than what I'd like and starting next week I'll have to start putting in more hours at the shop.

Good news-I have two entries ready for Genesis (oops, still have one synopsis to rework), hope to send them off this week. I'm halfway through semester, halfway through edits on two different manuscripts and halfway though writing the first draft of another.

Well, Glynna, I figure if we did this three times a year, I could write three books in a year!

Carol, thanks for the reminder about NovelTrack! I totally forgot about that. But I'm not sure it would work for me. I used to be on the email loop and it was just so many emails it was overwhelming. Kind of defeats the purpose, since it's checking emails that keeps me from writing!

January seems to be a good month for me to get a lot of writing done. I wrote half a book twice in January. That's good, for me. I'm not too sure how March will be, since my kids are out of school the last week of March for spring break.

See, I was just a few letters away from whopping hubby at Words with Friends, when suddenly he gets a HUGE score and zips right past me by 30-40 points. All I had left was an A and an O. What do you do with that?

This seems like way to much fun to read now cause I'm in the middle of a #1k1hr sprint.

Be back to play later, but first thanks, Glynna for translating. I'm embarrassed to admit how much time I've spent trying to figure out what SpeedBo stood for. What does it say about my brain that book never entered my thoughts?*hangs head in shame*

Myra, my husband and I may be the first couple to ever get a divorce over Words With Friends. We play it almost every afternoon. I do ok until he wins a few in a roll with, like you said, some ridiculous, strategically placed, 78 point, 3 or 4 letter word. But it sure is fun when I'm the one that comes up with with the magic word. ;)

MYRA--major SNORT, either way is a bad thing, like there was EVER AN EITHER WAY!!!!!!!!I ALWAYS LOST!!!!!!

I'd spell 'but' for five points.She'd change it to 'butazone' for 40 points.I'd spell 'not' for three points she'd change it to 'hypnotize' for 40 points.it was madness!!!!!!It was like she's a Scrabble Rainman.

Ruthy is the name of the heroine in my wip. She just saved her man by bashing the bad guy over the head with a gun butt.

Poor Luke was getting strangled.

Lukie's first words to Ruthy when he gets oxygen flowing back into his brain?

"What the devil are you doing here?"

It's a gunfight, fistfight combo and he specifically told her to stay back. But she couldn't let him be STRANGLED now could she???

(they may make me take 'devil' out. Is that cussing? I'm really the least foul mouthed person you'll ever meet. I mean the POPE cusses more than me. BILLY GRAHAM cusses more than me. I've had a study done so I know it's true. And yet, I am forever being told to take cuss words out of my books like...For Pete's Sake and Jeepers)

Very cool! I've never participated in one of these challenges, and I think it's time! I'm a pantser who struggles with giving myself the freedom to GO GO GO and just have fun, deal with the structures and plotting and shaping and re-writing later.

After reading Glynna's post tonight (been on the go ALL day) I'm ready to join in. I've never done any kind of speed writing (NaNo, etc.) so I'd really like to give this a try. Will be watching for the sign-up! Thanks, Glynna and Seekers! Blessings, Patti Jo

Yes, I'm in. I've never tried NaNoWriMo because of its proximity to Thanksgiving and Christmas, and have thought "Why not a month in the spring?" But have never tried to do it on my own. Looking forward to it.And I'd love to read your book - after March!